For ebike riders on heart powered trails only. On Sunday’s ride I stopped at junction of Breezy and HT and chatted with a stopped rider there. 2 other riders joined him. I didn’t notice the difference in 2 of the riders bikes until they were about to pedal away. Trek pedal assist e bike. I said they were not allowed on these trails. 1 guy said disability act permitted him which it does not. The other guy said nothing.They pedaled away. I had no legal way to site them. Attitude. So, somebody suggested laying religious karma on the scofflaw hence the title.

At the same spot as above a couple stopped. Chatted with them: they are from Zanesville, OH just west on I40 of New Concord, home of John Glenn and Muskingum College where I was graduated from. They said that Ohio is building trails. They have not ridden Mohican.

Again on this solo ride the step ups became higher. Mental block.

Forecast for Fri night was snow flurries. I drove out to far end of mp4 road as some guy has posted up with a trailer at the preferred closer in spot. Flurries did blow in.

Temp dropped well below freezing overnight. I got under way w/o bfast to drive on frozen ground in case the bit of moisture turned the drive into slop. I fixed bfast at the paved overlook. I was coherent w/o coffee. outside temp at 7:30AM was 22 outside and 45 inside w/ furnace running all night. Just can’t put enough BTUs into the cooling heat loss van.

Sat concern was muddy trails maybe even slippery freeze thaw mud. I stayed inside. I did watch the Zags game at PJs on my preferred bar stool. Smashed BYU. WCC tourney this weekend, Zags #1 seed.

Last night slept at same far out spot. This AM I had scheduled an eye exam as I find it very tiring to read my cell phone screen and printed. I wondered if the glasses were not orientated correctly. A specialist marked the focal point on each lens and I put the glasses back on. Lens was ground correctly and located correctly. Problem is with less expensive variable lens. She educated me on lens quality. The less expensive lens has a narrow focal spot, more expensive is much wider. I stepped up big time to buy new lens. Why I still save $ from my “allowance”.

I drove out Dry Creek parking right where Chuck Wagon crosses the road, usual spot. Lots of hikers and several bikers. I rode Chuck Wagon which connects with Mescal down to Deadman’s crossing the road to Aerie which had small patches of wet from melting snow. Cockscomb back around to Dawa dropping down to Dry Creek picking up OK, then a piece of AZ Cypress till the climb out on Snake to Girdner a short piece to finish on short piece of Chuck Wagon back to my van. Almost parked in from overflow parking for Devi;’s Bridge hike. Guy stopped to visit, Dave, he said we met on the Mah Dah Hey trail back in ND. Blank recall. Chatted, he mostly. Said something about my Pisgah jersey not suited for the ride. He didn’t see me riding but I had just shucked the sweated Pisgah jersey.

I turned around and drove back to 89A to drive 2 stop lights to snap for a shower. 2 lanes each direction, my way the road was plugged. Almost no forward movement. Never seen it like it was. I turned around in the car wash lot. Vacuumed my house because I was there. Traffic still backed up. I continued west and parked at the Cultural park to author this.

More winter temps are here, gone are shorts and sandals comfort.

This weekend is the mountain bike festival.

• Tuesday night was another cold one behind the Worm. I checked heater results between to catalytic and the furnace: results were almost identical. The furnace seems to be happy again firing up when the control sends the give me heat signal. It needs electric to run the blower which produces a white noise. Now that days are getting longer creating more solar gain the battery storage is sufficient from sunshine to sunshine gain. It produces a dry heat in that it is only heating recycled interior air. It is thermostatically controlled although in this cold it never reaches shut off temp. The catalytic is quiet, uses no electric, produces the same BTUs. However, it produces water vapor which makes for a humid climate and is controlled only by fuel valve open amount like cruise control.It is quiet except for faint spitting sound. I choose the furnace as go to heat source.

Wed around noon the van was turned back over to me. The shop replaced the EGR valve then test drove it. I gave them my debit card then they turned me loose. So far the fix was in. This Nov will mark the van’s 12th ownership day, presently 216,xxx miles have been rolled over. I worry about the van dying. I seek service treatment and examination along the way. Preventative maintenance to ease my concern.

I walked  taking a slower look along 89A in west Sedona. Lots of shops tucked away. Tourist economy. 89A is just plugged with traffic reminding me of commutes that were not caused by a tourist economy. Think Puget Sound.

Thursday morn I drove the long way around but speedier route thru Cornville to volunteer trail work up by the HS. This day the crowd size was intimate as maybe 8 volunteers and 4 FS staff. I sought Sedona trail build method knowledge from Phil. WOTUPO: water off, tough up, people on. I have concern that there is better trail layout and build knowledge with some locals than there is with the FS. There does not appear to be a control over what the FS does. One is an artist and the other is an employee. We worked on Skywalker, dropped down Old Post and climbed out on Herkiham. Skywalker is 2 years old and is holding up pretty well. I had noticed the trail was cupping which is prolly normal when on dug dirt tread. Water erodes and needs to be managed. Cupping eliminates the original outslope construction which directed water off the trail. Water no sheeting off the trail might run the trail perhaps in time creating a ditch in the tread. Last summer I worked on Fox Creek at Ketchum which became what I described. We cut in drains and broke the outsloped edge. I did not want to see thus happen here. I used a new Rogue hand tool that performed 5 functions in one tool, the blade is connected to a straight shovel handle. I established several drains on Skywalker then opened up clogged ones on the 2 older trails. Old the old trails where the sediment was dropped was obvious, I opened them up to hasten the water off. I am happy that I helped prolong the health of these trails. My shoulder does not like hoe work.

Weekly laundry then a shower. Clean sheets and clean body makes for a great sleep.

Last night I claimed a bar stool under a big screen TV to watch the Zags. Nail biter. Zags finally took control with about 5 mins remaining for the win. Conference play last game is at BYU on Sat which is also a TV station PJs receives. Bar stool again. Spent night at deserted paved overlook as I can count on a sleep spot and I am able to drive away after a rain event. Furnace ran all night.

Today forecast calls for 70% probability of snow showers, chilly and breezy. I am  not riding today, maybe a walk later.

This weekend is the mountain bike festival. I work Fri noon at the VVCC booth swapping cash for beer coupons. Volunteering. Lots of visitors, lots of rigs with mountain bikes attached to them. Trails will be crowded such that I will prolly not ride. This weekend is the Film Festival. The movie viewers rigs will not be as readily identifiable but their number will exceed mtn bikers.

Sunday night i drove out to beaverhead. The road climbs steeply up to the flats. I turned off rt 179 heading uphill. I pushed on the go pedal which produced no expected acceleration. Wtf? Just get me to the top of the hill and we will go from there. Engine runs but no power. Forecast is for wind event and precip and my gits are giving me issues. I chose a more head into the wind parking spot for the night. Wind did rock me. Yesterday was a federal holiday and i was unsure if the repair shop was open as well as medical treatment. I drove up to voc with no van issue. I needed coffee beans. A previous visit introduced me to an in house local coffee roaster who educated me of bean procurement who suggested an African bean which i was keen to enjoy. While waiting i ran into a chiro who has adjusted me in the past. Hmm. Decided for a session. He said i adjusted easily which must be good.

Windy and showery day. Furnace running. Started making phone calls. First was tepair shop that was open. Come in around 2 for problem investigation. Health care ended with 10 min hold finally voice mail. Drive to west Sedona has several short hills and no shoulder. Apprehension for van’s performance. Drove to garage. Mechanic hooked up computer to read van codes. Revealed needed egr valve. Ordered replacement for perhaps overnight delivery(?). Very unsure of van’s performance. I gingerly drove to uhaul store whete i have permission to park in his lot. I picked a spot out of the way for the night. Very windy blowing rain showers. Ran the furnace which can’t keep up with heat loss, inside temp drops with outside temp.

Ran into George who owns the laundromat and enjoyed a friendly conversation.

Gastro office finally returned my call: did not receive my referral and can’t schedule appointment until received. Call primary care, left voice mail, called back saying just resent referral. I waited until almost 5 and called gastro office. Still no receival. As of 10:45 today no call. Fax transmission issue. Wtf?

Temp dropped to 21 degrees this morning, inside temp was 50 degrees. I pulled down my 20 degree sleeping bag for a quilt. Warmed me up. 6,000 btu furnace output just falls short.

Waiting for calls from both fix it shops.

Forecast temp is for 20 degree nights and 40 degree days with snow flurries mixed in. I saw blooming daffodils which were tempted to bloom during previous shirt sleeve weather.

This morn i tried to start the catalytic heater but the fuel valve would not open. I repeated pushing the heat control knob to no avail. I added percussive and explicatives method to no avail. Definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. On a whim i turned the heater knob to run even though it wasn’t lit. Darn, that action opened the valve and the heater fired up. This heater produces more heat. I will attemp running it tonight.

No willing to ride with outside temp making it to 40 degrees and a suck van running me aground behind uhaul. Sitting at table inside whole foods typing this on my phone. Street walking for errands.

Finished rereading Wendell Berry’s Jaber Crow the first of his books i read after being introduced to him back at Snake Creek Gap bike race at Dalton, GA back in ’09. I give my read books to The Worm which is also the uhaul place.

Off to consume time.

The